Xbox 360 tops PS3, trails Wii in initial holiday sales

Microsoft sold more than 310,000 Xbox 360s last week in the United States, according to data released by the company this morning. The number essentially completes the statistical picture for the first week of holiday console sales. Nintendo said previously that it sold 350,000 Wii consoles in the country for the week.

Sony hasn’t disclosed the raw number of PlayStation 3 units it sold last week. (A Sony spokeswoman says it will give those numbers when NPD Group stats come out in mid-December.) The company did say that PlayStation 3 hardware sales were up 245 percent last week, when compared with the same week last year, among the top 10 North American retailers. This morning, Microsoft said the Xbox 360 still outsold the PS3 two-to-one last week, according to “estimates from top retailers.”

Update, 12:30 p.m.: Sony is disputing Microsoft’s statement about the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales. Here’s what Kimberly Otzman, a Sony spokeswoman, said in an e-mail just now:

“It’s (Sony Computer Entertainment America) policy not to disclose our unit sales numbers until NPD numbers are officially released which will be December 13th. However, I can assure you that Microsoft’s estimates of our PS3 unit sales numbers are way off and they did not outsell PS3 2:1 during Black Friday week.”

I’ve asked a Microsoft representative if the company wants to respond or check its numbers. The original post resumes below.

The different prices for the three consoles means the comparison of unit sales isn’t exactly apples-to-apples. It’s not the same as comparing hardware revenue and profits. But ultimately, a big goal for each company is to get its console into as many homes as possible, so it’s important to watch the market-share race.

More statistical jousting from the three companies:

Microsoft says software sales for the Xbox 360 are on track to exceed software sales for the PlayStation 3 and Wii combined this holiday season.

Sony says PS3 hardware sales have increased by 298 percent since Nov. 2, with the availability of both the 40 gigabyte and 80 gigabyte models of the console.

Nintendo of America said it sold “more Nintendo products than at any other time in its history” last week, including 653,000 Nintendo DS systems and the 350,000 Wii consoles.

See this earlier post for a breakdown of the first year of head-to-head competition among the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.